The AG&M research institute officially started!

01-02-2017

As of January 1st, 2017 the AG&M research institute is officially operational. To celebrate this, the institute organized a kick-off event on Thursday January 26th for the AG&M researchers to get to know each other in an informal manner.

Gerd Bouma, AG&M director from the De Boelelaan campus, started the evening in Museumcafé Mokum with an elucidation of the AG&M institute formation history. During the dinner thereafter, the AG&M senior investigators met their colleagues. Following the starter, the comedian Joop Vos playfully illustrated the essence of the research institute, collaboration: “Jullie zijn de Barack Obama’s voor het onderzoek. De Erica Terpstra’s voor alle disciplines onderling. De Yuri van Gelders voor het uitzetten van de lijnen. Ambassadeurs van de samenwerking”. This led to plenty of conversation during the rest of the dinner.

After dinner, the AG&M Post Docs and PhD-students joined. Stan van de Graaf, AG&M director from the Meibergdreef campus, welcomed them. His message was clear: “The AG&M research institute is a network organization for all researchers in the gastroenterology and metabolic field. Later also an advertisement for your research to the outside world. How are we going to achieve this? And with “we”, I mean not only Gerd and me, but all of you. We are the AG&M research institute. The institute that is you.”

With a drink and a snack, the rest of the evening could be spend getting to know unknown colleagues. Joop Vos mediated this process by forming a meeting circle. With their hand on their chest the somewhat astonished crowd sang the specially written AG&M battle song: “Waar de samenwerking almaar zal bloeien. Waar we ons manifesteren als een goed geoliede tandem. Waar de resultaten tot in de hemel groeien. Daar klopt het hart van het AG&M”. Furthermore, the pub quiz provided some essential knowledge to better understand colleagues from the other side of the Amstel.

It was a successful evening in which people got to know each other and the first steps were taken towards new collaborations between researchers at both sides of the Amstel that will create a stronger national and international scientific position.This year the AG&M research institute will grow from a concept to a mature institute for VUMC and AMC researchers working in the fields of Endocrinology, Metabolism, Gastroenterology and Hepatology.